CRYSTAL HARRISON, STAR Writer

Barbecued, curried or jerked, crocodile meat is rapidly becoming a part of the diet for a number of Jamaicans, with some persons even claiming that it gives a 'lift', just like Viagra.

Residents of several communities have been illegally capturing the protected reptiles, cutting off their tails and making big meals out of them. So popular is the meat that one community now stages a weekly party, 'Croc Wednesdays', where the meat is consumed.

In one community in St Catherine, a chef who used to work in the hotel industry told THE STAR that the meat is very popular among he and his friends. He said he has prepared the meat for his friends, police officers, lawyers and doctors who all love it.

"You can barbecue it, curry it, put it in soup, jerk it or even soak it in red wine to change up the taste or you can put in black bean sauce," he said. "When you a curry it you just do it the same way like how you curry goat, you clean it off and season it up, burn di curry in the pot and add the meat and cook it for 20-25 minutes."

When he was asked to describe how the cooked meat looked he said that it resembles oxtail.

The chef, while not disclosing where he got the meat, told THE STAR that he prefers the crocodiles from the rural areas instead of Hellshire, St Catherine, where he says they are nasty because they live in the sewage water. He does not purchase the meat but he said he has heard rumours about Chinese buying the meat for as much as $15,000 for a tail.

To the chef though, the most outstanding quality of the meat is that; "It come in like Viagra because when me eat it, it mek me stand up."

THE STAR also spoke to a female resident from a Kingston address who also eats crocodile meat. "My brother prepare it for me already, it taste like chicken, he also wrap it in bacon and then he jerks it, it really taste good. Sometimes when him curry it, he serves it with roti, it really taste good," she said.

When contacted, two residents of Hartland, St Catherine, admitted to hearing about the crocodile consumption but said that they have never eaten the meat.

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has said it is investigating the reports of the consumption of the crocodile.

no evidence

Acting manager at the Enforcement Branch at NEPA, Richard Nelson, said there have been several reports made about persons consuming the meat but there is no actual evidence.

Investigations done by NEPA, he said, have led them in the past to areas where they have seen the bodies of dead crocodiles floating around in the water tail-less. "Based on my understanding, it is the tail of the crocodile that is eaten, the cuts on the dead bodies of the crocodiles are clinical cuts, a sharp object is used to separate the tail from the rest of the body," he said.

"With the exception of Sheffield in Westmoreland, what we have are reports from general areas such as the Hartlands area in St Catherine, Whitehouse in West-moreland, Elim in St Elizabeth, and Free Town road all the way to Salt River in Clarendon," he further said.

Nelson said that NEPA has received reports that in the Sheffield area a weekly party called "Croc Wednesday" is held around 10 p.m. they have a special horn that they blow to signal that it is time to eat the crocodile meat.

He further stated that based on the information they have received about the "Croc Wednesday" party, the meat, which is prepared before the party begins, is mixed with other meats like chicken and mutton and as such it would be difficult to prove it is crocodile meat.

NEPA in the meantime is warning the public that it is illegal to catch or be seen with the reptiles or any of its parts. If caught, persons can be fined $100,000 or be sentenced to as much as 12 months in prison.